CHAPTER 339: CHAPTER 293: LAMB

Jialan Sect...

In the Golden City Mansion, Li Ang browsed through the local gazetteers from the Former Sui, lost in thought.

Just like the Pure Thought Sect to which Shixing Monk belonged, the Jialan Sect also had a Zen background.

The difference lay in that the Pure Thought Sect was the public face of Zen, often frequenting the Capital and Luoyang to preach to emperors.

The Jialan Sect, on the other hand, leaned towards... a grassroots approach.

Their main businesses were healing the sick and lending money.

In the Former Sui, Zen temples and Daoist temples were always an important part of the folk medical system. Monks and Daoists, having renounced worldly pursuits, had ample spare time. In addition to studying scriptures and pursuing their cultivation, they would occasionally dabble in Qihuang Medical Skill.

Over time, some monks and Daoists became well-known for their medical skills, attracting locals to visit and seek medical advice.

The Beitian Clinic was founded by Buddhists. The name "Beitian," a Buddhist term, signifies poverty and suffering.

The medical skill of the Jialan Sect was exceedingly brilliant. In local gazetteers and the writings of famous scholars and poets, it was depicted as miraculous, akin to bringing the dead back to life and mending flesh from bone. It was as renowned as another sect called Lihua Valley.

Moreover, they did not impose any restrictions, treating the ill regardless of their faith, age, gender, and even wanted suspects or notorious thieves. As long as one entered the doors of the Jialan Sect, they would receive treatment.

There is only one rule: the patient must pay one-third of all their possessions as a medical fee.

Li Ang read through the materials with slightly raised eyebrows.

The more skilled the Jialan Sect was in medicine, the stronger their obsession with wealth was.

For poor commoners, who already had little, giving up one-third of their property wasn’t much—at most, it meant selling a house or an ox.

But for wealthy merchants and noble families, it was a disaster. Losing one-third of their total assets—including land, houses, and shares in businesses—at once was enough to make them feel like they were coughing up blood.

Many powerful figures tried to delay payment or find ways around it, such as "distributing" their wealth to friends and relatives a year or even several years in advance, but it was futile.

The Jialan Sect would retrieve their dues in whatever way they deemed reasonable, not hesitating to wage cultivator wars against other noble families and sects to do so.

In this manner, the Jialan Sect quickly amassed enormous wealth and used it to establish banks all over, extending loans to anyone in need: farmers, tradesmen, sects, and even states.

Tianzhu, Nan Zhao, Zhou Kingdom, and Jing Country had all once borrowed money from the Jialan Sect.

It reached the point where common folk in the Former Sui joked that the richest people in the world were not Emperor Sui or the Haotian Sect Leader, but the bald-headed monks from the Mountain of Mind and Heart.

However, an innocent man is not guilty, but possessing a treasure makes him so. This was especially true for such a massive fortune.

The last abbot of the Jialan Sect, witnessing the chaos of the Late Sui and sensing that tumultuous times were imminent, gradually scaled back its banking operations, dispersed some of its wealth, and led a small number of disciples to hide in the deep mountains, establishing a new Mountain Gate.

Subsequently, the Sui Dynasty fell and war broke out. Countless Cultivators and warlords fought over the Central Plains. The Jialan Sect’s original Mountain Gate was among the first to be destroyed, and its wealth was completely plundered. Other Cultivators from various sects dug three feet into the ground but could not find the Jialan Sect’s legendary, nation-rivalling Secret Treasure.

It was not until a hundred years ago that the Academic Palace found the dilapidated remains of the Jialan Sect’s hidden Mountain Gate deep in the dense forests.

The site was in disarray, clearly having experienced a fierce battle, yet no trace of the Secret Treasure was found.

After the Academic Palace announced the news, many in the Jianghu scoffed, believing that the Academic Palace and the Yu Country had hoarded the riches. Others thought it was a Tomb of Clothing set up by the Jialan Sect to deceive the world, with the real Secret Treasure located elsewhere.

Ruins from hundreds of years ago are now being used as a competition venue, Li Ang thought, closing the gazetteer. He mused aloud, puzzled, "What’s the meaning of this? Are they expecting us to help dig for treasure?"

Unlikely. The site was discovered a hundred years ago; anything of value has likely been unearthed already.

Besides... I have no intention of taking the competition seriously.

Bian Chenpei’s accusation is a slight complication. This competition involves twenty participants from the Rain Listening Realm and twenty from the Cloud Patrol Realm. Ultimately, ten will be selected to go to Zhanquan for further cultivation. If I actually win and have to go to Taihao Mountain...

That place is Haotian’s main base. Who knows what ancient Prohibitions might be there? They might even detect Mo Si.

Retiring abruptly from the competition would be too conspicuous. It’s better to participate in half a month’s time and aim for a mediocre result.

Having decided to slack off, Li Ang used Telekinesis to return the gazetteer to the shelf.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK—

A knock sounded. Li Ang called out, "Come in," as usual, but when the door opened, it wasn’t Chai Chai who appeared, but Ashina Galuo.

The Turkic girl stood at the door blushing, wearing pajamas, with a wooden tray in her hands that held milk and neatly sliced pears.

Li Ang blinked, momentarily stunned. Ashina Galuo wobbled into the room and cautiously placed the wooden tray on the table.

"Uh, thanks."

Li Ang was a bit slow to react and instinctively leaned back in his chair, reclining against the backrest, to avoid touching Ashina Galuo.

Although the Turkic girl was petite, it was early summer, and her pajamas were somewhat thin, accentuating a figure surprisingly developed for her age. As she drew closer, Li Ang could smell a milky fragrance mixed with the scent of grass on her, reminiscent of a newborn lamb.

Hmm... it occurs to me that after soap was introduced to the Turkic peoples, they seem to have taken the initiative to add their own spices to it.

I wonder if they’ve paid any patent fees for that.

Ashina Galuo stood up, her hands behind her back. Biting her lip, a stark contrast to her usual forthright demeanor, she fidgeted and stammered, "Umm..."

That "umm" is for sale now, available in both the East and West Markets, Li Ang couldn’t help but quip internally. He asked with a smile, "What’s up?"

"Thanks for today," Ashina Galuo said, a little incoherently. "I read in the newspaper that you thrashed that Bian Chenpei today, beat him until his head swelled up like a pig’s."

"If Taihao Mountain comes after you and the Academic Palace can’t protect you, sneak away to the Turkic lands and find me. That’s all."

Bian Chenpei is just an ordinary Disciple. It’s uncertain if his father can even become a Judicial Cardinal, and even if he did, he couldn’t easily touch the Academic Palace. If the Academic Palace can’t protect me, the Turkic territory certainly couldn’t either.

Li Ang gave a wry smile, understanding that Ashina Galuo meant well, and nodded with a smile, "Yeah, thanks."

"Mm."

Ashina Galuo blushed as she nodded. After standing still for a few seconds and seeing no reaction from Li Ang, she clenched her jaw and moved closer.

PECK.

The girl fled the study like she was escaping, leaving Li Ang alone in his chair in disarray.

He reached out and touched the corner of his mouth where the sensation lingered, feeling a bit baffled.

Was that... a kiss?

Aside from that time when I was young and clueless, playing breath-holding games face-to-face with Chai Chai, this must be the first time, right?

Uh, speaking of which, those Mind Threads I used to suture the wound on Galuo’s abdomen looked remarkably neat. Truly my handiwork.

ACHOO—

「Meanwhile, in the Great Ming Palace.」

Princess Guanghua, Li Leqing, who was just about to go to bed, suddenly sneezed.

The Maid by her side was startled and hurriedly asked, "Your Highness, have you caught a cold?"

"No, I just feel..."

Li Leqing frowned slightly. As she lay down, she said uncertainly, "Did someone take my things?"